His winning qualifier on March 29 at The Meadowlands was impressive. His lifetime bankroll of $1.3 million was impressive. The fact that he raced with some of the best trotters in the world in the Prix d’Amerique last year was impressive.
On Friday, Aprill 11 at The Meadowlands, in the $25,000 featured high-end conditioned trot, Aetos Kronos S did something else impressive. He took down 4-5 favourite Chapercraz in a sparkling debut on North American soil in 1:53.2 over a 'good' track.
“He’s a really classy trotter,” said winning driver Dexter Dunn of the Swedish import racing out of the Marcus Melander barn. “The class has been there throughout his career.”
The trip wasn’t ideal, as driver Andy Miller fired away from the gate with 40-1 outsider Yanks Dugout from post seven in the seven-horse field, and that one had the point at the quarter in :27.2 with Chapercraz in the pocket and Aetos Kronos S the three-hole.
Joe Bongiono moved Chapercraz to the top at the three-eighths before hitting the half in :56.1, but as the field made its way into the far turn, Dunn moved Aetos Kronos S off the pylons to go after the leader and still had some work to do as Chapercraz passed three-quarters in 1:25.
Chapercraz, a lifetime earner of $1.2 million who earned more than half of that during 2024 alone, straightened up at the head of the stretch with a 1-1/2-length edge, but despite a solid effort, he couldn’t hold off Aetos Kronos S, who needed every bit of the final three-sixteenths to grind down the leader and record a three-quarter-length win over Chapercraz. Seven Sins and Brett Beckwith were third over the winner's late-closing stablemate, S I P, driven by Mattias Melander.
“He got off the gate pretty good,” said Dunn of the nine-year-old son of Bold Eagle and Will Of A Woman. “He got a good spot and dug really deep. [At the head of the stretch], I thought Chapercraz was going to get the better of me. It’s a good way for my horse to start here in the States.”
As the even-money second choice, Aetos Kronos S paid $4 to win.
He now has 20 wins from 63 lifetime starts for owners Jeff and Michael Snyder of New York City.
Will Aetos Kronos S be able to go with the very best horses in the older trotting division this season?
“As long as he keeps getting better, I’d think so, I would say,” said Dunn.
A carryover of just over $5,000 served as the catalyst for players to pour $25,372 of “new money” into the 20-cent Pick-6 pool. After a sequence that had winners' odds of 1-1, 6-5, 1-1, 5-1, 60-1 and 3-1, those with winning tickets exchanged them for $5,314.66.
Driver Brett Beckwith padded his lead in the Big M standings with three winners on the program. The 22-year-old reinsman now has 54 victories on the year, nine more than runner-up Jason Bartlett.
All-source betting on the 14-race program totalled $2,456,339 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)